Confinement Training – the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship….

The first time I realized how useful it is to have a confinement area for your dog, was when Tommy moved in. Tommy came from the Walvis Bay SPCA and seemed to be the gentlest of souls. Until he met our parrot Jacob! Jacob was used to being out of his cage all day long, but we soon realized we could not leave Jacob out with Tommy around. So we had to lock Tommy away in order to give Jacob a chance to explore the house. At first, we simply let Tommy out into the yard to entertain himself. But he knew the parrot was out and he got all wild and excited looking in through the windows. Once Jacob was safely restored to the cage, we let Tommy in, and he would charge at the parrot’s cage and refuse to settle. So then we started keeping him in the bedroom, while the parrot flew about in the rest of the house. And to our surprise Tommy was much calmer there, as he couldn’t see the parrot. When we let him out afterwards, he was really relaxed and able to ignore the parrot in his cage.

Confinement? Surely that’s too strict?

Not at all. It is the best possible start for your dog in your household. People often give a new dog complete freedom right away. Then, when he has an accident on the carpet or chews on the legs of the coffee table, they confine him, and confinement becomes a punishment. 

Instead, give your dog a safe place from the beginning, and let him make a gradual and successful transition to his new home. He will be much happier and your furniture will remain intact.

Dog crates are great for this, because you can place the crate anywhere in the house, so your dog can still be near you.

Unfortunately, crates are not very common in Namibia and can be really expensive. My husband made our first crates himself using hardboard and wood. If you don’t wan’t to invest in a crate you can set up a confinement area in your house, that is easy to clean and free of objects that the dog might want to chew.

Setting up the confinement area.

The ideal confinement area is easy to clean and easy to close off with a door or baby gate. It should be mostly free of furniture and non-dog related objects. The best places for a confinement area are the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, or an empty spare room. 

Furnish the confinement area with a bed or a crate with something soft to sleep on, a water bowl, and several toys, including a favorite bone, chew toy, or a Kong stuffed with part of your dog’s meal. Make the confinement area the only place your dog gets to have this particular toy.

If you have a young puppy, be aware that puppies like to chew their bedding. Save that nice expensive dog bed for later!

Getting your dog used to his confinement area:

Step 1. Take your dog out for a walk or bathroom break.

Step 2. Give him a chew bone or a stuffed Kong. Leave him alone in the confinement area while you go about your business in the house.

Step 3. After 5 minutes or before he finishes his chew, let him out but don’t make a big deal about it or make a fuss over him.
Repeat steps 1-3, gradually increasing the time you leave your dog in his confinement area without leaving the house. Vary the length of your absences, from 30 seconds to 20 minutes, and repeat them throughout the day.

I personally prefer my dogs to sleep in my bedroom. Dogs are social animals and if you have a new dog or a puppy they will be happier near you at night. My puppies sleep in a crate next to my bed. My dogs sleep on dog beds but also with us on the bed. 

But if you prefer to leave your dog in his confinement area  at night, that’s OK. It is normal for him to try a little crying as a strategy to get out, so brace yourself for that. He has to get used to alone-time. If you think that your puppy needs to go to the bathroom, take him out on a leash. Don’t talk to or pet him. Just give him a chance to do his business and put him back in the crate after.

For more tips on house training training check out my blog post on potty training. 

Step 4. Within the first day or two, start leaving the house for really short intervals like going to the mailbox or taking the trash out. Gradually work up to longer absences, like running errands.

Do you already use a confinement area or a crate? Share your set up with us!

Useful Resources: 

Shaped by dogs pod cast episode #30 Why dog crates are not dog cages 
Susan Garrett: Ruff Love (available on amazon.com)
Susan Garrett’s Crate Games